The Braves have made some impactful signings in the last 24 hours, as they now have both OF Mike Yastrzemski and RP Robert Suarez on staff for at least the next two seasons. Yaz signed a two-year contract and Suarez also signed a three-year pact. Considering Suarez is coming off a career year where he produced nearly two fWAR while throwing 69.2 innings and Yaz has hovered around the 2.0 fWAR mark for most of his career, these are two additions that should certainly help the Braves improve going forward.
The main question I have is how these two will fit into the roster going forward. For one player it’s quite simple. Robert Suarez comes in here as the main set-up man for Raisel Iglesias, while also being another option to close out games if Iglesias is unavailable or if new manager Walt Weiss simply wants to use another option in the future. We know this because the Braves said so. After Jeff Passan initially reported the news of the signing, he added that the Braves planned to use Suarez as a reliever.
Despite being a very effective closer for the Padres, Suarez seems eager to help the Braves in any way he can. Suarez made it clear at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that he would like to work with Iglesias and has already spoken with both Alex Anthopoulos and Walt Weiss as well as players such as Iglesias, Jurickson Profar (former Padres player) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (fellow Vezulan). “Knowing that, Iglesias [is] I am willing to do whatever it takes to contribute in any way […] I’m happy to do what the team needs,” Iglesias said when asked about the conversation he had with AA and WW.
“We have really strengthened the back end and I am looking forward to talking more deeply with Iglesias,” said Suarez when asked about the relationship he has with him. He looks forward to cultivating that relationship in the future and while you don’t really expect or need everyone to be buddy-buddy or anything like that, you would like to see these two moving in the same direction as they are two very important parts of Atlanta’s bullpen and the ballclub as a whole. Assuming both Iglesias and Suarez can maintain their form, that will be an extremely solid duo to have at the back of the pen and it will certainly give the Braves an edge in ‘shortening’ games when the Braves are on the move – so that once those two get involved, they can close things out as far as any given game is concerned.
Meanwhile, the questions and situation surrounding Mike Yastrzemski’s expected role with the Braves were a bit more fluid. Ivan talked about it a lot early Thursday morning and it’s definitely worth hearing his thoughts on the situation. Regardless, Atlanta wasn’t in dire need of another outfielder as they currently have three fine players in Acuña, Profar and Michael Harris II, but at the same time, Alex Anthopoulos mentioned in previous comments that he would be open to signing any player he thought would be a good fit for the ball club, regardless of position.
In that sense, Yaz could potentially be part of the solution for a role that is currently wide open in Atlanta: the role of Designated Hitter. I’m not saying Yaz will be the full-time DH or anything like that. While Yaz is a fine and consistent hitter (with a 2025 slash line of .233/.333/.403 with a .321 wOBA and 106 wRC+, which is in line with what he’s produced over the past three seasons), he’s probably not coming here to be the primary DH and he knows it. Yaz also spoke to local media following his signing and made it clear that he is happy to be used in any way the manager sees fit.
“To be honest, they tried to explain everything and say how they wanted to use me,” Yaz explained when asked about his potential role with the Braves. “As politely as I could, I tried to shut them down and tell them, ‘I don’t care. I just want to be part of an organization that wins.’ I’d say this sounds like a guy who is willing to play anywhere in the outfield and maybe even DH at some point.
Yaz didn’t sound super excited about being a primary DH, which he admitted when he said he “never liked it” [DHing] for the longest time” when he was with the Royals. ‘I felt like I played half the game. I’m proud of my defense and it just felt weird at first. Still, Yaz showed he was willing to adapt to contribute in that role and eventually figured out how to play that role effectively.
“I learned how to stay active, how many movements to make in the cages to stay loose, what to do to keep my mentality,” Yaz explains. “I think one of the most important things is to keep your heart rate stable, so if you relax too long and just sit there and suddenly you have to hit a big punch, then you have a huge variable in your heart rate. I’m trying to find ways to do this […] it feels like I’m still playing the entire game.
So while it certainly sounds like Yaz isn’t going to be a primary DH or want that to be his role, it still feels like he’s perfect to be part of that “DH by committee” role, where he can spell anyone who needs to take the day off from being out in the field and vice versa. It’s a move that I think makes the Braves more versatile – similar to how the acquisition of Mauricio Dubón impacts the infield (hopefully if the Braves can also pick up a shortstop) with his versatility. The Braves wanted to add depth and versatility and it appears they have succeeded so far when it comes to the signings they have made so far this offseason.
The Braves have bolstered their bullpen with the addition of Robert Suarez in an area of the ‘pen that gets you excited about what the high-leverage innings will look like for this squad and they’ve also given themselves a wealth of strong options to bring to the market on a daily basis with the additions of Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski. It will be very intriguing to see how all three of these players are used, but it seems like a safe bet that however they are used, they will be effective and productive. Let’s see how this works.
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